X-Com: Broken Mirror
by Winter Feline
Summary: Extra-terrestrial combat unit (X-Com) is given the resources and manpower to fight a war no single nation in the world could hope to emerge victorious in. A promising young commander takes charge as these strange enemies seem to grow in power and become more and more troublesome at each step further along the path. Yet under the flames of war lies something sinister, just waiting.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 01: Enemy Unknown

The green fields beneath seemed so peaceful. The sparse woods made the area seem untouched, peaceful and isolated. Gazing upon the landscape through the chopper's window, Nikolai Volkov hoped that it was enough to keep the place secure. Dressed in a black uniform and the hat resting on his lap bearing the symbol of a golden 'X' upon it, he gazed once again at the documents open on his laptop.

"_Nikolai Volkov, you have hereby been named Commander for X-Com project, and are to prepare for transfer immediately following the receival of this letter. You are to answer only to this Council's instructions, and make the decisions you find necessary in face of the new enemy we face. Review the material while on-route. Good luck."_

The signatures beneath had been from important people, but the most noteworthy ones were those of his superiors that he had served for years. He had began to review the materials soon after, and even now it seemed impossible. At one hand, it proved there was intelligent life out there, but on another hand, it also made it clear that whoever they were, they were not interested in being friends.

It had been hard to believe, but the photographic proof had convinced him, as had the budget this project was assigned. He had lead soldiers to combat before, and managed to impress his superiors several times. Of course, he had also made some enemies in his time that prevented him from rising higher than major in the past, but the documentation made it clear he was now the top of the organization that was receiving funding and recruits from the member nations. That meant he would only answer to the council's directions, and even there, he had the last say. His job was not to worry about politics, but to get the job done.

"_X-Com. Extra-terrestrial combat unit, originally established during the fifties after the reported sightings of unidentified crafts starting to become frequent occurrence. While some of these sightings were dismissed, the amount and material acquired from credible sources suggested at least a few of these sightings were real. As the incidents began to wane, and credible sources no longer reported any new material or sightings, the issue was dropped, and X-Com buried as a curiosity. With the recent events, it has become apparent the project needs to be revived, and at a whole new scale." _

The starting words of the document said enough already. Sightings over Alaska and an aerial combat over Russia had given both United States and Russian Federation enough reasons to sign in to the project, and with their clear interest on the matter, several other nations had joined in. They were not a public organization but each of the member nations had the right and duty to call for their assistance whenever incidents with these reported extra-terrestrials might occur.

The first base had been placed, no doubt after several heated arguments, into Europe. Secondary bases were under construction in United States, China, Nigeria and Brazil. That would put a base in each area of the world, allowing X-Com to respond to a crisis no matter where it took place. So now he was waiting to see this 'hidden base' in Germany.

"Are we far from our destination?" He asked the pilot after a few more minutes had passed. "Not far, ETA three minutes. Best get ready, sir." The serious looking German woman replied back to him sharply. Silently setting his hat down on his head, he drew a deep breath leaning back and sighing. The chopper continued over a hill, and Nikolai found himself frowning. For a base location, he didn't see much. Some kind of an old cottage not too far from there, but that was all.

Just when he was about to ask about the matter, he saw a section of the field crack open and start to slide to the side. It was a large hatch of some sort. Down below, he could see a large landing bay waiting, with people moving back and forth. So the base was underground, he noted to himself briefly. Smart, if their enemies wanted to find them, they would have to look around for a good while. The files he had did not speak too much of the facility either, instead telling him further information would be provided on site. Operational security was tight on this. The lack of radio-communications also suggested to him that they intended to keep it that way.

Once they had landed, and the hatch doors safely closed above them the pilot did the last check-up on the chopper's panels. Silently opening his belt and stepping out, Nikolai took a few steps into the landing bay casting a look around. Three people were already approaching him, the first of them wearing a black uniform quite like his own, the second one dressed in a white lab-coat, and the third dressed in dark brown slacks and a gray sweater, though with a badge of the golden X resting on his chest.

"Commander Volkov? I am your second in Command, Reiner Rothschild. These are fräulein Hope and herr Mercier. They are the heads of the X-Com research and manufacturing departments."

"It is good to meet all of you. Is there a situation presently on-going? If not, I would like to visit my quarters and get a shower." Reiner nod his head somewhat and gestured towards the nearby door. "This way." Nikolai smiled briefly but looked at Hope again, speaking seriously. "I will visit the laboratory soon." Turning his gaze towards Mercier then in turn, he continued in the same manner. "I look forward to seeing what the engineering here can do as well."

"As you wish." Mercier replied calmly and turned to go, but unlike him, Hope frowned faintly and spoke up. "Mr. Volkov, I have already been waiting for your authorization to begin my research-" She stopped as soon as he raised a hand. "I have been on the move for several hours. I will visit the laboratory once I have showered and dressed, and will not delay it further."

Though he could tell she was far from satisfied, she at least accepted his word and followed after Mercier then. Casting a look at Reiner, he began to walk ahead allowing the German man to lead the way. Past the hangars was a hallway for personnel to move to any of the three hangars located in the base without having to cross through others, but they all lead to the large elevator room and beyond it, a security check-point. That made sense to him, if someone were to try and attack the base they would have only one real entryway, one choke-point to defend.

"This place was built with security in mind." Nikolai Volkov smiled and looked at Reiner as he voiced his approval. The brief nod was followed by a smile in turn. "The place was built to be able to withstand an attack, or even a siege. Hopefully it will not come to that, but its better to be prepared."

Considering the foe they would be facing, it didn't hurt to have a fair share of precautions, but he'd have to talk about some of the things with the German officer later. Perhaps besides a bottle of good vodka. That always got tongues to loosen up a touch, and used with moderation, it could be a good way to work out some stress as well. He had no doubts about whether or not there would be stress involved with this job.

O O O Training Area O O O

Gunshots sounded out in unison as the ten soldiers already present worked on their accuracy. The other ten soldiers were working out in the gym nearby, preparing for whatever tasks may lay ahead of them. All of them were volunteers, eager recruits spotted and sent forth to the program by their respective nations. Since the organization was new, none of them knew much about it, but had quickly adopted English as the conversational language within base area, though some did prefer to talk together and especially curse in their native tongue.

As the loud beep sounded out and the targets began to slide closer, each agent waited quietly to see how they had done. The lightweight assault rifles they had been issued were well made, and surprisingly accurate at single shots and short bursts, though full auto was, as always, mostly useful for covering fire or suppression.

"Well now, looks like we got some future _snipers_ among you sissies here, provided you got the guts and the gruff to make it!" The trainer's voice sounded out loudly as he examined the display at his desk nearby, giving him information on individual soldiers. A few of them kept improving steadily, some had obviously had slow start but were getting there, and a few seemed to be unable to really learn that much by simple firing range use.

"Aki Kettunen!" The trainer called out, watching as a blond-haired, thin man walked up to his desk, the nation flag insignia on his left shoulder marking him as a Finn. "You're tied for the best score with a member from the other group. Practice your shots for two more clips worth, and then turn in your weapon. I'll have a word with you later, but its looking likely you'll be placed in the mission team."

The smile and salute came quickly, along with the polite but brief "Yes Sir!" Returning to the firing lanes, the young man left the trainer to smirk somewhat. The fellow was more than a little strange in some ways, being competent swordsman, wielding knives with fair precision, and having already proven himself one of the best marksmen present. The fact he wasn't even a professional soldier in the past had surprised him, but sometimes the best did find their calling elsewhere. With the world in the state it was now, though, X-Com needed the best, and the best would answer the call. The pay was good enough after all, but it was hazard pay. Unlike with regular military, the X-Com forces truly did not have a clue what kind of a foe there might be on the battlefield, and that made it a bit difficult to attract recruits.

Starting to call out the others though, the trainer's attention focused on the rest of his proteges, the small force already showing improvement, but when the mission time came, they would only pack ten soldiers aboard the VTOL craft to send to the battlefield. The other ten would remain at the base both to protect it in case of possible retaliation, and to serve as a back-up team if the situation got bad enough that the first team would suffer a complete wipe-out during some mission. It was a situation the trainer didn't want to think about, but had to admit to himself was a very real possibility.

O O O Laboratory O O O

"So, these two projects hold promise, and I would like to begin working on them as soon as I have your permission, commander." Hope's voice was calm and collected as she finished explaining to the commander what she needed his signature for. When the organization was put together, the sole authority through whom all the important decisions had to go through was the commander, and that had already delayed Hope's research projects enough. Thankfully the man was worth his word in that he did appear to her laboratory to hear her out in half the time she expected him to take even if he was to rush his shower and get back. Pleasant as the surprise was, his refusal to come right away was still a delay and his insistence that she explained what she had in mind had made her sigh originally. They really should have handed the right to make the final call on research projects to her, this dumb Russian might have a head for strategy, but she doubted he would be able to figure out the significance of her work.

"So combining the earlier research on laser weaponry from different nations and the test-data provided by them we could start working on a miniaturized, hand-held laser weaponry, or alternatively you would like to begin preparing an emergency field first-aid kit which would be lightweight, simple to use and would allow our soldiers to treat their wounds on the battlefield, thus increasing the likelihood of survival and mission success alike."

While it was accurate, she didn't like him dumbing it down like that. If he understood that much, fine, but she didn't see why he had to repeat it to her. Perhaps he wanted her to confirm he had understood it right. "Basically, yes. However, we only have twenty researchers on duty at the base for the time being, so I would think it would be best to begin working solely on one of these projects to see it completed as soon as possible, and then move onto the next in turn. Unless of course you would be willing to request additional scientific staff to aid in the research." Her smile was hopeful, but the brief shake of his head was to be expected. Military men had little understanding for the demands of science, and the bright minds like hers.

"Twenty researchers won't be enough in the long run, we'll be _hopefully _bringing back several items of unknown design once we start bringing this enemy down from our skies, so we need to have the necessary research and development capabilities. Consider it done, I'll have Reiner make a few calls soon. As for the research, focus first on this 'medikit' idea. Good weapons are important, but I would prefer to have more soldiers return from the missions alive regardless of how many aliens are shot."

Signing the necessary paperwork briefly, Nikolai Volkov walked out of the laboratory and headed on forth towards the engineering then, leaving miss Hope staring after him for a second. "Guess he isn't such a numbskull militant after all." She was willing to go that far for someone willing to at least increase the amount of staff she had working on the projects. So, medikits first.

"Alright people! We have authorization, lets start cracking on this!" Walking among the eagerly waiting scientists, Hope grinned widely for a moment. At least things were looking a little better than they had at the start of the day, back when she first heard their Commander was coming in from Russia.

= = = Alien Base Zanas = = =

Two silvery discs rested on a white-stone floor inside a large hangar area, thin cables attached to the open panels on their side. The short gray men and women moving about in the base were preparing them for launch, working tirelessly. They were Reticulans, and they had been entrusted with overseeing the beginning stages of this operation. While this world was distant from their own, they all knew that this mission was vital for their long-term survival. These humans were a complication, but they would be dealt with, they were certain of that.

"_How long till the small scouts are ready for launch?" _The base Commander gazed over to one of the engineers working at a nearby desk in the nerve center of their base. _"Three tics, they are already re-fueled and restocked from their latest scouting mission. Pilot undergoing medical treatment." _

The thought of it was annoying. While their small scout had landed, some human with a weapon had sneaked up close and tried to shoot on the pilot. Luckily, the human had only managed to hit the pilot in the ass but the sheer audacity of it was something to consider. Of course, the pilot had emptied a whole plasma-pistol clip in retaliation on the human's body even after he had stopped breathing a long time ago.

"_And the scout?"_ He hoped he would soon be able to launch the larger craft. The small scouts had helped locate some good places for future harvest and research missions, but the small scouts were far too vulnerable to risk on anything more just yet. Once they had a proper scout craft they'd begin with additional research and harvest tasks however. _"Still two planetary rotations away." _Two more days and nights on this planet before having at least some firepower. It was a bit unnerving to the young Commander.

Zanas, after whom the base was named, was a promising commander by all theoretical tests, and his mental abilities had proven formidable in the past already, but he knew well that this mission would either secure his position in the Reticulan society, or damn him as a failure despite all previous accomplishments.

"_Very well. Give the order to launch in three tics, and carry out further recon on the designated areas." _Having given the command, Zanas focused his attention on the holographic projector displaying the outline of the planet and its continents. Tapping the first location to scout out, Zanas then turned his attention an ocean's width away, and after a brief look tapped down the second area to scout out.

"_The first scouts reported those areas are designated by humans the names 'Alaska' and 'Norway'."_ Briefly nodding, Zanas frowned. What sort of names were those? Not that they would matter for long. It helped to know what humans called them, in case they'd have to enter _talks_ at some point, but that might end up just being busy-work while they waited for their heavy-hitters to be ready for work in this planet's atmosphere.

A lot of technology would not work right until it had been adapted to this planet's conditions, and that called for further research. On that note, they'd need additional bio-matter eventually too, so a harvest would be necessary as well. So much to do, and already he'd seen that you couldn't expect these people to just run away in terror when they came.

"_Have Mistress Yul join me in the entertainment chamber in five tics." _Getting up and off his seat, Zanas walked out to the hallway. He had a lot on his mind. Perhaps Yul could provide some new thoughts, and help him out with this.

OOOOOO

Alright, first chapter is together now. Took me a bit, and I am still not sure if its what I originally envisioned, but eh, its there. So, the story borrows elements from original UFO: Enemy Unknown and the new XCOM Enemy Unknown games, as well as some material from other games that touched the series, like UFO Aftermath and so forth.

Likewise, I am thinking of writing this partially from human angles and partially from alien ones. I am open to comments and criticism, as long as its creative. On that note, tics are basically minutes, and rotations, full days. Just felt a touch silly having Aliens call them exactly the same, but ah well.

I already dropped out the plan to have a running 'calendar' in story tracking how far its gone, but we'll see.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 02: Interception

"Commander, I got something!" One of the operators raised his voice at the command center, keying in a few commands before the main screen changed from a rotating image of the globe to a map of Europe, and then closing in, upon Scandinavia. There was information nearby on commercial flights, dimmed down but present, but among those flights they knew should be there on the skies another one that was not scheduled and definitely not broadcasting the right signals was also there.

"Can you get a better view?" One of the other operators shouted up, the screen shifting somewhat as the image of an overhead satellite began to lower down, till it revealed a disc-shaped craft speeding over water, heading east. It was going to cross over Sweden and Norway next, or possibly land on one or another.

"Confirmed as a unknown flying object, permission to sound the alarm?" The operator's excitement showed, but nobody could blame him. This was a moment they had been waiting for, and their first chance to show what they could do. Others had failed before them, but X-COM would have its chance now.

"Granted, I want both interceptors into the sky and the strike-team in full readiness as fast as humanly possible." Gazing upon the display of the small craft on the screen the commander's expression stayed the same. He considered briefly on reminding the operators to remain professional about what they did, but this was a special occasion so he was going to let it slip this one time. Everyone gets excited sometimes.

The dim lights shifted to a red spectrum as the alarm began to sound through the base, and the additional screens flickered to life. All eyes were now on the enemy, and the staff was pushing themselves to complete their assignments in record time. It was a matter of pride, and everyone knew the stakes.

O O O Hangars O O O

"_Alert! Alert! UFO-Detected!_" The announcement set a flurry of action in motion. The two interceptors were always kept in top shape, and all that really needed to be done was the last minute check-up to make sure everything was in order. Once the safeties were removed both craft began their ascent, the hangar doors sliding to the side to allow the VTOL jets to rise, and then charge forth to the blue skies.

Even as the hangar doors to their bays were still closing the strike team of ten brave men and women charged forth to run up the ramp into the waiting strike-craft codenamed _Skyranger_. Even as the squad hurried to sit down and strap themselves in the sound of the engines roaring to go could be heard, the tremble to lift and head forth felt. In order to make certain that any downed UFO would be seized by the XCOM forces before any extraterrestrials would have a chance to flee the strike-craft would have to follow the interceptors even if it was possible they might simply miss their opportunity to shoot this enemy down.

"Everyone ready?"

The squad-leader asked loudly, with each soldier responding swiftly in turn. Four men and six women made up the strike-team one, headed by Aki Kettunen for now at least, and he had the responsibility to bring everyone back alive. That was the goal at least, but the fact remained the soldiers were volunteers that knew that any of their missions could turn out badly. Still, he hoped he could prevent at least any needless losses and gazed upon the group seriously.

Just then, the flat screen against the back wall changed to display a satellite image of the alien craft, and designation UFO-01. The squad members exchanged brief glances between one another, some of them trembling slightly, others doing another check-up on their rifle nervously as they waited.

"Listen up." The commander's voice spoke up seriously, as the satellite image changed to a map-view of Europe, showing a red light at the northern Baltic sea, moving west at a high speed. Two more images appeared, blue fighter-shaped figures heading north towards the enemy already.

"The interceptors are moving to engage this small UFO, and equipped with the latest technology available we are confident that this _enemy _will be struck down from the sky. Once this objective has been achieved, I trust in your ability to secure and contain the crash-site. I know this is a lot to ask, but you are the pride of your nations, and your courage to volunteer against this unknown foe is worthy of respect. Remember to come back alive."

The voice cut out, but the image shifted back to a view of the alien craft from satellite image, then returning back to an image of tracking, their Skyranger now visible on the map too as it rose higher to the sky from its hangar, launching after those interceptors.

"..."

There was a heavy atmosphere for the moment, every member of the group making sure to check their gear or seeming to be lost in thought for the moment, a few watching the screen still. Aki's head turned to look at the three figures closest to him at the time. These were his group.

_Leon Tapia_ was a strong, tall man from Spain, with broad shoulders, a calm smile on his face, and a military buzz-cut for hair. Perhaps he was a little too proud of his homeland, boasting about its fine dishes now and then, he was still a figure that made others laugh and relax. Right now though he was calmly doing one more check-up. Which might have been as close as people would get to seeing him being nervous, seeing as he had already made sure that his gear was in fine working order a few times before.

_Pia Scavo_ was an Italian woman with frighteningly quick reflexes and a good aim. She was slender and held onto the second sniper-rifle in the team, while Aki held the first. Her golden hair and bright blue eyes would have made many call her beautiful, if she wasn't the kind of person to kick someone's face in for trying to flatter her. Holding her rifle steadily she was done with her check-up, and trying to relax.

_Zoe Argyris_ was their grim Greek, a woman that held an assault rifle to her chest with one hand while another rummaged through the conventional, old-fashioned first-aid kit that she had brought along. Awkward, clumsy, and more than likely to run out of something important quickly if they really needed it, the bag might still be worth it if it saved someone's life. She would be able to do much more for them when the research team would be finished preparing their new medi-kits for use.

Returning his gaze ahead and thinking of what lay ahead of them, Aki quietly frowned at the thought of the already prepared memorial wall. The intent was that it would never be needed, but XCOM tended to think ahead, and the battles were very likely to claim more than a few lives. He wasn't afraid to die, but he was damned sure he would do his best to keep his own team from walking into hell with him.

= = = Within UFO-01 = = =

The small scout was moving along steadily, seeking to avoid detection unaware of the fact they were already spotted. The hull of the small craft was prepared so that it didn't echo the signals thrown at it by who knows what the humans were pulsing through the airwaves. Part of it might be a detection system of some sorts, so the material kept absorbing the signals to muffle them rather than allowing them to be reflected back to their origin.

Silently keying in command sequences at the console, the pilot cast a nervous glance at the scientist seated on the second chair in the control chamber. Of all the people to end up with, why did it have to be Rhy? Cursing his luck quietly, the pilot checked the readings again after something odd caught his attention. Heat-sources approaching from the side, at an alarming rate.

Keying in a short few command he had the main screen turn into a view of the direction the heat sources were emerging from, only to curse loud enough to draw the scientist's attention as well. "_Two of their air-superiority fighters. They still haven't learned they can't compare to us._"

The enemy would have to come closer to use their missiles though, as the scout's hull gave a narrow target and seeing as it absorbed signals it was hard to get a good lock upon it, anything fired from too far off would have a poor chance of catching them. Confident in this, the pilot adjusted the course to engage these fighter crafts. Keying in a command to prepare the plasma lance, he grinned in a sadistic manner. One good thing about these sorts of primitives was that it was more satisfying shooting down their feeble efforts to stop them than it was dealing with the primitives that laid down their weapons and bowed down before getting pumped full of plasma.

"_They fired from distance."_ The comment from the scientist made the pilot merely chuckle. So they were wasting their missiles. He swiftly keyed in a command to have the ship swing to the side and out of the way. The missiles followed, correcting their path. Frowning slightly he turned to suddenly drop the craft down a fair distance, playing with the anti-grav setting. The missiles adjusted course again, and swifter than the previous ones they'd dodged above Russia.

"_Oh F-"_ The explosion shook the craft and riddled the hole with hundreds of small shrapnel pieces that would have torn apart a human aircraft. The alien small scout was built from tougher materials but the readings on the screen did show that the damage done was far more than they had expected from these primitive apes.

"Damn you! Take THIS!" Cursing loudly both into the minds and into the air the pilot keyed in a command, the plasma lance firing and ripping across the wing of the closer fighter-jet. The human craft began to fall immediately, but the second one unleashed another missile. Rhy screamed as the pilot struggled to try and dodge the missile but it was too late.

O O O XCOM Command O O O

"HQ, this is Predator-2, enemy down, I repeat, enemy down!" The cheers rose into the air but the commander's face remained serious. He didn't need a confirmation from the pilot to know that Predator-1 had been shot down from the sky, but there was something else he wanted to know.

"Good work, Predator-2. Did Predator-1's pilot manage to eject?" There was a short pause before the response came in a hurry. "I see him, HQ, Predator-1 has ejected, pilot has deployed a parachute and is descending near crash site." There was both relief and some worry on people's faces at the news.

"Understood. I'll inform the strike-team to bring our girl home after securing the UFO wreckage." Nodding his head approvingly at the time, Nikolai rested back onto his chair. Rothschild was already working hard, relaying information to the individual officers, the footage of the attack transferred to the research team.

"The UFO went down in a rugged area that has no settlements of note nearby. There's a very good chance to recover it without drawing too much attention there. Strike team is closing in to engage." The calm presence that Rothschild showed right now only earned a brief, serious nod from Nikolai. It was always best to not assume too much, he reminded himself grimly. _I best speak to Reiner about that privately later. No need to taunt Murphy._

"Alright, the interceptors have done their job, now its up to you. Strike at the enemy and secure the site. Once the site is secure our extraction team will handle the rest of that. Your task is to secure the site and keep it till the extraction team arrives. After that, pick up the downed pilot from nearby, and return to base. Keep smart out there and come back alive." After finishing that small speech, Nikolai turned his attention to Rothschild and the rest of the command crew.

They had accomplished what the others could not do already, dropping the UFO from the sky, but securing the crash site would allow them to get their hands on the alien technology and really start figuring out their enemy. Until they had a good idea of what their enemy was after, and what they were capable of doing to achieve that objective, they were at a disadvantage. Unfortunately they would need to study a dead foe to be able to figure out what they would need in order to construct something that might be able to house and contain a few live aliens for studies later on.

= = = Alien Base Zanas = = =

"_Oh damn, I needed that."_ Shivering at the time Yul's fingers left his grey head, Commander Zanas let out a long breath while focusing his mind once again. The way Yul could create psychic visions that relaxing and purging was astounding, they let him recover as if he had rested for several planetary rotations.

"_Always a pleasure, but you really should come more often."_ Yul's teasing had Zanas feel a bit of amusement. It was no secret he was fond of her, but he was unproven, and Yul was there because the high command wanted him to prove himself. Yul was the one that could help him get there, and Zanas would have to remember to be professional about things. Not to mention the fact that she was related to the High Command. He had his reasons to believe she just might be evaluating him during this mission too.

"_I need to be focused. Whenever I come here I am out of touch with the operations, though the clarity I get lasts for a good while."_ He appreciated her touch, it gave him new ideas, new plans got started after her aid, yet at the same time he felt he should not rely on it too much. He had to prove himself, and this mission was far too important to be left as a mere test for his abilities. At the same time, he felt rather certain that a good performance would allow him to ascend among the high command's ranks, and that would set him for life.

"_Very well, but come back soon Z."_ Such familiarity had his heartbeat hasten briefly, and he felt the amusement from her as he walked away feeling and no doubt broadcasting his embarrassment to others too as he walked. Swiftly calming himself and returning his mind to its focused state, thanks to Yul's aid, he made his way back to his command chair, only to see the panicked officers rushing about. Linking his mind with theirs, he grimaced at the news.

"_Small Scout 02 was shot down by fighter-jets belonging to humans, and the Small Scout 01 was still out on its own job. It would take too long for Small Scout 01 to reach the site to evacuate the crew safely. So they were carrying on with their own mission instead. Crew of Small Scout 02 was out of contact as well, and could not be instructed."_ The short summary he went through got a confirming nod from each of the officers as Zanas grit his teeth together quietly and considered things. The standard operating protocol was to destroy the craft and make their way to an evacuation spot, but without communications they would be isolated until they could deploy a signal amplifier, and that would take time.

What that meant was that the enemy, these humans, might very well actually capture one of their brothers and sisters alive. Zanas felt a headache coming up. He had just visited Yul and his mind was able to play out a multitude of possibilities, but there was very little they could do with their present resources.

Silently he wished he could have just fought an enemy in space. So much easier, far less complications like adapting their weaponry for planetary use and preparing the necessary chemicals to keep everything moving. He wished they could have just deployed weapons from orbit to wipe out the foes here, but that run a risk they did not wish to take, their mission here required them to take a more personal approach.

Being assigned to the job was an honor, but the complications list was getting longer by the tic. _All the more reason to field the stronger craft soon._ Making up his mind, Zanas gazed from one officer to the next. _"Until we receive word from the crew of Small Scout 02, we will continue with the operation in Alaska as planned. If and when we receive word from the crew, we will send aid aboard Small Scout 01, and pick up the crew at the agreed upon landing spot. If they don't make it, we'll continue as we are. In the meanwhile, inform the engineers that we need to start building a new Small Scout, and begin training a new crew in the meanwhile." _Best to prepare for the worst, Zanas thought grimly. It might be that none of their former crew would make it back alive. _That pilot has the worst luck possible!_

Then it dawned to him who was also aboard Scout Ship 02. Rhy. As far as scientists went, Rhy was both a very talented one and at the same time a very difficult one to deal with. Rhy's theories and tests brought a great deal of results, so the scientist was permitted some liberties in that work, but right now it was making things difficult. If the enemy captured Rhy, they would have a very smart and easily bored reticulan at their side, and given how Rhy was, the fellow just might trade some information for new information. Especially as _humans were never their primary target anyway_.

OOOOOO

Alright, took me a fair while, chapter 02 is up and ready, I'm going to be working on writing for the Zerg story next, its been far too long already. Blaming a bit of a writer's block, I've been having a -ton- of different ideas, in different topics. You could say I've had more new ideas than good continuation ideas, but that's still no excuse.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 03: First UFO Recovery

Skyranger's vertical descent brought it down gently a little distance away from the pillar of smoke that showed exactly where the alien craft had crashed. The rocky ground provided a fair share of cover, but the pilot had still decided to land the strike team a little away from the wreckage to not end up taking losses from any surviving enemy trying to just lob a grenade inside their craft as soon as they lowered the ramp.

Still, as the Skyranger touched ground the ramp had already dropped and the first soldiers already stormed out. Taking cover behind the rocks and surveying the area through their scopes Aki and Pia were keeping watch for any sudden movements while Leon moved ahead, holding his assault rifle steadily. Zoe followed him, following the simple lesson that people would keep in pairs. Behind them, two shotgun-carrying soldiers moved ahead in a silent step, watching their surroundings.

Aki hadn't yet learned their names well enough to recall them immediately, but both had proven themselves quick on their feet and on the uptake, showing themselves capable candidates for assaults. The mixture of assault rifles and shotguns might be a bit unorthodox but at the same time it would hopefully also keep their enemy on their toes about the human forces. Still, despite being ready for combat Aki wished that it would not be necessary. The UFO had been relatively small, but that didn't mean that it couldn't have had a whole lot of soldiers within it waiting for an engagement.

Best to hope for the best and plan for the worst. That old adage still proved true when a sudden flash of sickening green light was followed by shriek of pain from one of the advancing shotgun-holders, who's weapon fell to the ground with the stock partially melted along with the soldier's good right hand grasping for her left, the left arm in turn seeming to have a baseball sized burn through it, revealing bone. The wound was bleeding profusely and Aki knew by now that they could have a casualty on their first job.

"Contact!" Zoe's voice shouted and her assault rifle fired, the sound of a bullet hitting the rocks sounding in the distance where the green flash had originated from. Pia and Aki began to aim into the same direction to catch the alien bastard who did this and drop it the second it would show its ugly face next. Meanwhile Leon had grasped the wounded soldier that still stood in the open to pull her into cover, while the other shotgun-wielder, Julia Katz, suddenly turned to face another rock and fired towards it earning a high pitched scream that didn't sound human.

"Get the wounded to the Skyranger and have her treated, Leon you're strong enough for this!" The large Spaniard didn't argue with Aki's orders, grasping the wounded woman carrying her towards the Skyranger in a hurry, the woman's expression still showing the shock of having a hole blown into her arm, even though her arm was now trying to hold the wound to slow the blood-loss. A hastily tied string around her upper arm was at least helping some, must have been Zoe's quick thinking there. She was a support-soldier after all.

Pia's rifle fired and Aki saw the second alien had popped its head a bit over the stone, firing his own rifle as well. The sound of a bullet striking stone rang out but the satisfying burst of blood and grey matter told him at least one of them had hit the alien in the head, and based on the short scream and figure falling out of sight they might have gotten it.

Generally speaking, a shot to the head should finish any kind of a creature but this was an alien not something that he knew, it might have entirely different physiology after all. Still, he had seen a head and he had shot at it, and if the effects were anything to judge by the creatures were human-like enough that it should have dropped that foe at least. Though most humans couldn't scream when their brains were splattered outside their skull.

Nonetheless, no further shots rang out as Leon approached the Skyranger, the stand-by support there getting to work with the wounded woman. Aki and Pia left their cover to advance slightly further ahead, with Zoe keeping watch on the surroundings besides Julia. Leon was going to return soon, but they had to carry on while waiting. Two soldiers would stay with the Skyranger, the backup support and one of the riflemen. The Skyranger had better tools and an actual bed, albeit a poor and simple one, for the wounded to lay upon while being treated.

The two other soldiers had left Skyranger to walk in the opposite direction for a little bit to make sure the enemy hadn't gotten past them and surprise them from an unexpected angle. Now that the first contact had ended, they were returning already as well. It was time to advance towards the wreckage.

Zoe waited till Aki and Pia had reached a good spot to snipe from again, before she gestured for Julia to advance on the foe she had shot at while Zoe took the other direction that Aki and Pia had seen a foe drop in. The two snipers covered their advancement with a constant vigil, hearing the familiar footsteps of Leon returning behind them.

"Scratch one bogie, this 'gray' has its head cracked open here!" Zoe shouted from her location, while Julia cursed loudly. "Fucking hell, there's blood here but the sonofabitch must have dashed off. Seeing some splatter towards the smoke-pillar, must have retreated after seeing its buddy get whacked."

So, one dead and one wounded enemy, and they had managed to wound one of the strike team members so far. Aki was hopeful that the foe would be properly discouraged by this, but they had no choice but to push on. Waiting till the two last member of his team reached them, he looked at the man and the woman both holding assault rifles, gesturing ahead towards Zoe and Julia. Nodding their heads they advanced to join them, while Leon kept closer to Aki and Pia for the time being.

Keeping a little spread out they moved ahead watchful of enemy movement. Without warning, a blast shattered rock and sent the woman that had run to join Julia into the air, a leg flying further than the rest of the body, blown free from her form by whatever mine or grenade there had been. Julia had been thrown on her back but the simple kevlar plates in their outfits had shielded her from the shrapnel at that distance.

Aki didn't need to ask, Julia's quick movement to kneel down besides the woman and shaking her head after touching her neck's side confirmed what he had feared. Fuck, now he had taken a casualty as well. The alien bastards had the time to lay down an ambush but failed it miserably, but the retreating enemy had been smart enough to set up a trap where it dragged its blood over luring them right into it.

"Watch your step people, the enemy's playing guerrilla here. Leon, join Julia." The large man nod his head and moved to join the shotgun-holder who seemed to be saying a final prayer to the dead woman before closing her eyes and getting up to continue.

Approaching the alien craft they could see the craft's outer hull looked mostly intact, but a man-sized hole had been blown through the roof, apparently from the inside. The smoke was rising from there at a steady rate, the craft itself having dragged some soil and seeming to have broken some stones in its path as it dragged against the large stones which had stopped it.

There was an open hatch at the side, with the bloody track leading towards it. The squad moved carefully ahead, with Aki and Pia pausing to take aim towards the entryway just in case, their eyes also watching the ship's surroundings for any indication of a new ambush, ready to react to danger on a moment's notice.

Leon and Zoe advanced to the door from different sides, with Julia following after Leon and the third man of his team following Zoe. The fourth one was still at the Skyranger, watching after their wounded and the support. The lad's nerves showed as they were on their way, and Aki had thought it more merciful to allow him to stay back to guard the Skyranger than to drag him along by force. Though if the man didn't manage to shake his anxiety he was not fit for service.

Nearing the doorway, the group seemed to make a decision, and a short moment later Julia pulled out a flashbang throwing it inside, and after the bang she and Leon charged in first. A couple of gunshots were heard, and then silence. Moment later, Leon appeared in the doorway to shout. "Clear! Scratch the second bogey, and don't see anyone else in this wreck!"

Aki felt relieved, but spoke up seriously. "Don't let your guard down, check the surroundings and keep in pairs. We'll start preparing to leave though. I'm going to call HQ and let them know mission was successful." Aki cast a look around still while Leon advanced towards them, speaking in a bit lowered voice. "Thought I should mention this. There's two seats in the forward area of the craft, and some door to what must have been an engine room as far as I can tell, the place is a mess, but there's a broken chair of some sort before panels there. Another door leads to the back that seems mostly empty, cargo area of some sort maybe. Still. Two dead aliens, three seats."

Aki nod his head, and keeping watch. They might have one more alien lingering somewhere nearby, but for the moment it seemed they had cleared the threat, and perhaps the aliens hadn't brought full forces to this mission either. He made the call to radio it in, though letting the HQ know this detail might be worth a notice.

"HQ, this is Skyranger one, mission successful. We'll watch over the area for possible stragglers but we have confirmed two kills and reason to believe a third gray may be present. Bringing home one wounded, and one casualty." His voice was grave serious reporting the last part, already thinking about the two situations and if he could have prevented them. He could not change the past but he could learn from them and deny the enemy an opportunity to do this again.

= = = Rhy = = =

Panting a bit unsteadily as he tried to run away from the crash-site, Rhy carried the ship's nexus crystal with him, trying to get as far away as he could. The pilot and the engineer had volunteered to stay behind to delay the enemy if they arrived, as well as see if they rig the ship to explode to prevent it from falling into the enemy hands. With the engine gone, and the last charge from the capacitors spent trying to make their crash-landing a non-fatal one, Rhy knew there was no way to fix the craft anyway.

The nexus crystal held all the information from their mission though, and it held the recordings of how their ship had been downed, all the way to the moment that Rhy had pried the crystal loose from its matrix. His hands were still numb, even with the capacitors drained the charge had hurt his hands. Nobody removed a nexus crystal from a ship without letting it completely power down, but they didn't have the time and he had known it as well.

Honoring his comrades sacrifice he was making his way out of the area as fast as he could, carrying the emergency pack with him. When he had reached a safe distance he would wait for the command to come investigate their missing craft, and he would contact them for a safe pick-up. At least unless the enemy had managed to blow the second craft out of the sky too. Then Rhy was pretty much screwed, he would not be able to hide forever and though he had undergone the adaption treatment he wasn't sure he would last in the unfamiliar setting. He was a scientist not a scout.

O O O X-COM HQ, Germany O O O

"I understand your eagerness to study the alien artifacts, Fraulein, but you have another project to complete first. This fight will carry many risks to our soldiers and getting a working medikit for our troops should be a high priority." Commander Volkov's voice kept level and even as he gazed at the angry woman in a lab-coat. He understood her curiosity on technology captured from the enemy, but at the same time he had to keep things in order.

"A preliminary examination would not take more than a day and would allow us to consider new ways to approach them later once the medikit project was over, and the medikits are two days from completion. Surely adding a third wold not be so bad?" The glare she received from the commander made Hope take a step back though, the chill of Siberia seeming to spread through her.

"Two more days until the medikits are finished means two more days the engineering is left waiting for orders. You will complete the assignment I signed my approval on and then, only then, will you get to examine the equipment recovered from the crash-site. I will permit you, not your team but you, up to two hours away from the medikit project to study the artifacts, after which you will continue working on the medikits. You will not speak of the artifacts you have witnessed before the medikit project is complete, so as to not distract the science team. Understood?"

She wasn't happy with the terms but she nod her head in acceptance. He had understood that she was not going to be satisfied if she didn't at least get a look, but he had also made it clear she understood he cared more about his soldiers lives than allowing her to indulge in her curiosity even if it would serve the X-COM well in the future.

"Just one question, then. When?" Hope looked at Commander Volkov a bit impatiently, earning a sigh from the man who looked at her directly in the eyes. "The artifacts will be delivered in approximately ninety minutes. When they arrive, they will be moved to storage containers, which will take at most thirty minutes. At that point, you will have a chance to examine them for exactly two hours, not a minute more."

Turning to walk away, Volkov spoke without looking at her. "I'll inform the guards and the Rothschild. If you are caught trying to extend your stay or sneak a peek during the transfer you will be assigned solely on projects that _don't _involve the artifacts. Do not test my patience." This was her first and last warning, he would not permit insubordination.

= = = Alien Base Zanas = = =

"Scout zero two has returned, mission successful. Designated area investigated, located several good target areas for research and harvest missions. Interference negligible, two human civilians got in the way and were exterminated after first one opened fire." The report was brief but acceptable. The humans had proven troubling, they had ruled the skies sending human attempts to stop them to fall to the ground before but now their enemy was engaging them in the air, and it seemed even their non-combatants were eager to engage their forces.

These 'police' as their vehicle had been marked had perhaps belonged to some kind of local guard but they did not carry heavier weapons, they didn't seem truly prepared for a battle. Still, they had some means to defend themselves, and he could respect that. These people had built a lot on this world, made it their own. Perhaps if this mission didn't require Zanas to be here he might have been curious to observe them from the distance and see how they'd evolve. Someday they might have had something to offer to the galaxy.

Yet his mission came first. This was the last known location of the _R'lyeh_ after all. He grit his teeth together and looked away. The information was old, and the probes sent to discover its location had only a faint trail to follow by the time their civilization had recovered from the ravaging effects the _fall _had brought them.

This world seemed the most likely destination. Humans had conquered most of their world but someone might be pulling the strings like an experienced puppeteer, and Zanas didn't need to consult the archives to tell that the _R'lyeh_ might well be already here and hidden when he began to pick some notice before.

Several years ago the earliest scouts, full of angry avengers had come to look around near here, and the last transmissions suggested that humans had shot them down in this world, catching them by surprise. If so, the humans knew they might be coming, and the number of nuclear armaments they had suggested they were quite prepared to bombard mother-ships from orbit if necessary. Which was why Zanas' people had chosen to land an elite team on the ground to adapt to the surface conditions and strike at the enemy while not allowing them to see where the strikes came.

Smoke and mirrors, he thought grimly. He would have preferred to just drop a couple of asteroids onto the planet, or bombard it from the orbit, but they needed to find _R'lyeh_, and without a mother-ship they would not have the necessary firepower to pull that off. Worse, a mother-ship was too large to cloak.

"Send Scout Zero Two's crew to rest and recover. Prepare combat team to take Scout Zero Two to skies after the unloading is finished and the elerium cells have been checked. Full squad, plasma rifles in every hand, even the pilot. No pistols this time, this is a combat flight as well as a recovery mission. Search the area the signal was lost, and bring back any survivors. If hostiles are still present, exterminate them. Although if you can spot their commanding officer, capture them alive."

Zanas let out a heavy sigh while waiting, and turning to look at a small monitor on the side showing the cargo bay. The crew of three was leaving the small scout craft in a slow manner, the female scientist helping the male engineer who was limping. Probably the one that had been fired upon by the humans. The two blue-uniformed humans were brought out on slabs next, both having suffered fatal plasma burns in the chest area. Which would cook their organs and probably make them less useful for studying, but it would have to do for now.

"The enemy has gone and performed their warsong, now its our time to show them ours. We will continue research as ordered, but I want you to bring up the files on _Chrysalis _and _Serpentis._ I didn't want to do this but obviously we are going to have to make it clear to them that trying to get between us and R'lyeh is going to cost them greatly."

He grit his teeth together, and waited as he watched the events unfold. Twelve fine reticulan soldiers in bio-suits marched aboard the scout-vessel, each holding their plasma rifle at ready. If the foes came for them again they would face a really nasty surprise.

"Let the Crafters know, I want the _cloning chamber_ on-line as soon as possible as well. If this enemy intends to stand in our way I will make sure we can replenish our losses. We will also have to begin considering expanding our presence with additional bases on this world. With active resistance we must step up our efforts. I will let the high command know."

His orders given Zanas turned to walk back to his quarters to send his report. They would not like it, but they would send him more forces, more resources, and once he could prove he had found the resting place of R'lyeh they would send the war-fleet. Finally the nightmare would be over. When this world burned they would see their ancient oppressors perish, and finally sleep without a shadow looming over them all.

OOOO OOOO OOOO OOOO

Well this tale is well underway. In case there's some confusion going on at the time, I am basing this X-Com tale both partially on the old X-Com series and partially on the new XCOM game. The original UFO: Enemy Unknown (or X-COM: Ufo Defense, which I hear was another name for it) and its follow up X-COM 2: Terror from the Deep were both good inspirational material, though I'm also throwing in some ideas of my own.

On that note, now that the first strike-team has faced battle, the second strike-team will probably be shown in action sooner or later. I am quite willing to let any reviewers give me an idea of any particular team member I might include on the second strike-team, the first one is mine, the second one I can make up with ideas from the followers (if any want to share such thoughts).

Keeping in mind this is X-Com story so casualties will likely occur along time. The first team is mainly Europeans, but I am fine with having any nationalities present in the second strike-team. Further in the story there will likely be additional X-Com bases with their own strike teams, most likely with the same theme of one strike team of local folks within it and a second one with more international group to fight the good fight.

Thanks for your reviews Beyogi, glad to hear someone's enjoying this.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 04: Preparations

"Alright everyone, get some rest. Meeting adjourned." Looking at the soldiers leaving the room after the debriefing Nikolai silently rubbed his forehead with his fingertips. They had won, but the aliens had managed to hit back even after being shot down from the sky. That meant that their ships were built strong enough to keep the crew alive through a crash, which in turn meant interceptions should not take place over urban areas and that any downed UFOs would be a serious hazard to their surroundings.

At least the research department was excited about the chance to study the alien metals and weaponry. The crashed ship had mostly broken equipment, they were not certain if it was due to the crash or if the aliens had purposefully destroyed anything that had been still intact in order to try and deny them a chance to recover it intact. The alien weapons were one thing though, and the materials used in the UFO's construction might prove useful. The medikits would have to be completed first though, he wanted his soldiers to have a chance to come back alive. Too many lives had been lost in the past to wounds that could be treated, just because there wasn't enough time to get them to a proper hospital. The medikits should help people stay together long enough to get the long-term treatments.

Commander Volkov considered the situation seriously just as the wall-mounted screen flashed a short string of text. _Incoming Council Message_. It wasn't a real-time broadcast so he didn't really have any rush, but seeing as he wasn't too busy right then Nikolai keyed in the command to display the message. His eyes widened slightly while reading the offer proposed there.

_Four of Russia's finest engineers in exchange for some of the alien metal. That would mean giving one nation an advantage against the others, and it is my home country no less. Yet this came through the council channel, so the other council members should be aware of it. _Sighing heavily after thinking it over, Nikolai keyed in a few commands. The amount of metal he would have to hand over would be a third of what they had recovered from the crashed UFO. That still left them plenty to research and possibly put to use later.

_We will need the engineers to build what the scientists come up with anyway. I suppose I shall have to take them up on this. I know the Americans will get riled up, but they can make their own offer for something else we will recover next time around if they so choose._ Humming briefly he keyed in the reply, before marking down the location to do the exchange. One truck would carry the materials there, and bring back the engineers to the base on its return trip.

With that done, there was the matter of casualties. Keying in an additional command he looked as the screen lit up with the images of the two that were harmed during this mission. A young woman that was a volunteer had died, and another one lost her leg in an explosion that meant she was out of service though she survived. He silently swore under his breath, wondering if they would develop the ability to deal with such injuries in the future. If so, she would definitely be treated that way once it was possible, risking their lives in the field meant they deserved proper care on their return. X-Com would not forget those who risked their lives to see humanity survive.

Placing his hand on the controls, he keyed in a short sequence, a voice-call reaching Reiner a moment later. "Commander?" His tone inquired seriously and ready for work. "We have a request from the Council. They want some of the metals recovered from the alien wreckage, and are offering to send some of their best engineers in turn. We'll need them in the coming days, so I have decided to accept this request. I need you to oversee the shipment's preparations. I shall send you the details shortly." That said, he forwarded both the initial message and his reply to Reiner, waiting for his second in command to confirm the orders. "I'll get it done, Commander." Reiner's voice was calm and serious, as Volkov nod his head briefly. "Vigilo Confido."

= = = Alien Base Zanas = = =

This wasn't a good day. Zanas wasn't pleased to hear the human air-superiority fighters were starting to catch up with his forces in the performance in the sky. That would make scouting missions risky, but they had to be carried out to adapt their technology for this world. They would have to make due with what they had until the preparations were finished. Eventually the humans would pay, though.

"_Serpentis and Chrysalis cloning is proceeding on schedule. Scout Zero Three will be ready ahead of schedule, but that will exhaust some of the resources for the time being. Any news on the supply ship?"_ Zanas watched the operators at their consoles converse, though most of it happened through small-area telepathy rather than actual speech.

"_Several day-night cycles away still. For optimal base production I would recommend initiating a harvest." _The operator's comment made Zanas frown slightly. That would mean they would stay in one area for a while longer, and without a dedicated Harvester ship the rewards would be limited, but at the same time he saw the logic in securing the resources to continue with the cloning operations and feed the staff. _"Very well, set up Scout Zero Two for a Harvest Mission. Target is this isle."_ Zanas gestured on United Kingdom on the holographic map, earning a brief nod from the staff.

With any luck, that would also serve to scare the hell out of those damn humans that were getting in their way. They would aim to take cattle on some rural area, but if the humans got in their way then they too could make their way onto the list. If it wasn't smart enough to achieve interstellar flight, it was dumb enough to eat. Though the bigger, less intelligent species would cause less reaction most likely. _"On that note, raise the crew to eight, and arm them with both plasma pistols for the crew, and rifles for the soldiers. How far are we in the studies for heavy plasmas?"_

There was a short pause as one of the operators turned to look back at Zanas then hurriedly replying. _"The adaption research is still far from completing that project, it will be plasma pistols and rifles for now, and we need a new shipment of Elerium 115 soon too. Current stores are sufficient for current operations but quite insufficient for heavy-plasma use."_

The thought caused Zanas to grimace and sigh. Heavy plasmas were hand-held anti-tank weaponry for lack of a better term, but they burned Elerium through quickly, their clips were bulky and hard to carry, and the weapon itself was a nightmare to bring to a battlefield. Zanas had no doubt that they would have their use soon though. These humans had their own armored vehicles to deploy, after all.

"_Cyberdiscs?" _He inquired, a short moment passing before an operator replied in a serious tone. _"Incomplete research, their anti-grav is not yet adjusted to this world's conditions. Deploying one outside of a base would result in likely crash and self-destruction." _So no help there. Serpentis and Chrysalis would have to do. At least those beasts were already altered so that they would not become a threat to his forces. Last thing Zanas wanted to do was to unleash a reticulan bio-weapon and have it turned around to destroy him and his people.

"_We'll have to fight with what we have then. Initiate harvest as soon as possible, I will go message High Command to send us the next supply somewhat earlier and I will see if I can get them to deliver a single terror ship to us early."_ The use of a terror ship before adaption would likely burn through its Elerium storage as soon as it entered atmosphere, but it should be possible to land and deploy forces to one of the humans main cities, unleash hell-like fury, and leave a lasting impression.

Anyone that stood with R'lyeh would have to perish, the reticulan people could not allow the dark age to return, and if the sleeper would awaken there might not be a single reticulan left this time around. Already the whispers of ominous, ruinous powers could be felt in this world, unsettling the crew of the base, relying on Zanas' leadership to continue with their mission.

"_Sir, we have located the area our earlier scouts were destroyed at. The primitive networks of this world seem to call this place Roswell, part of a collective nation called United States." _The information made Zanas grimace. So these United States people were responsible for the first attack. That meant they were the most likely ones hiding R'lyeh as well. _"I will inform the terror-ship to destroy one of their great cities. That should let them know our wrath and let them know what the price of serving the Old One will be." _

O O O X-COM HQ, German

Aki silently continued reassembling his rifle by himself, each part carefully cleaned, oiled, and now being put together. He trusted his rifle to keep him alive, but he in turn felt the best way to be able to rely on it was to make sure it was in a fine condition beforehand. He knew by now that Pia shared his way of thinking when it came to keeping a rifle in excellent condition. For a sniper, their weapon should not have even the slightest problem firing because a chance might pass by far too easily otherwise.

"Come on, just a taste!" Leon loudly commented in the next room, trying to get Zoe to taste some of his cooking. The man didn't know when to quit. While Aki could understand the man's pride in his food and possible interest in the Greek woman, it was rather obvious to him that Zoe didn't want anything to do with his food or his company, at least outside of the battlefield.

"Done." Pia suddenly announced, causing Aki to blink and look at her. Small, smug smirk showed on her lips. He might be more accurate than her at least right now, but she had a knack of putting the gun together swiftly. Some healthy competition was good for the team-spirit too. "Damn, beat me by seconds." Aki smiled in turn, finishing his own rifle, and setting it to the table. Just in time to hear the slap.

"Oi..." Pia shook her head as she heard the steps walking away beyond the door. Leon must have pushed Zoe too far again. It was almost daily occurrence anyhow, and neither of them saw it doing much harm. Zoe and Leon weren't close, but they carried out their duties well. They might get along well enough if Leon just got it that Zoe wasn't interested. Unfortunately in that aspect the man was rather persistent.

"Ah well. As long as neither of them does something that stupid on the battlefield." Aki moved to set the rifle to its shelf, moving over towards his bed as Pia shrugged and moved to set her own to the shelf before leaving the barracks. A moment later Leon walked in, muttering a bit annoyed but casting a look around. Two of the beds were already bare, their locker doors showing the keys hanging on them, the contents no doubt boxed off by now.

Most of the group had headed off to have a drink after the mission, or relax in the recreation area, playing some games. It was just the group of four of them that had chosen to stay behind for the time being, and now Pia and Zoe were gone too. Leaving Leon to turn to Aki with a sigh. "I swear, that woman has some Spartan blood in her, one slap sent my eyes spinning." He proceeded to grin at his own joke, looking at Aki a bit more relaxed once more.

"I think she is getting a lot of practice. Why don't you just accept it for now though? We're all fighting together, we don't need to antagonize one another." Aki's words were met with a short, amused laugh as Leon shook his head. "I'm not antagonizing, I'm trying to get her to open up a bit. She's so grim you'd think the Alien did something to her or her family personally. Seriously, I get the feeling she's on a warpath for vengeance. I want her to get out of that shell you know?"

While Aki did have to agree that Zoe seemed a bit reserved and grim, he also believed in letting people come out at their own terms rather than pushing them. Something their 'gentle giant' seemed to be failing to understand. Shrugging as it was simpler than an argument that wouldn't bring any resolution anyway, Aki pulled a tablet computer from his locker, starting to flick through his favorite websites out of curiosity now that they had some free time to leave Leon the privacy to change.

"Pia's looking at you that way, you know?" Leon's comment was full of mirth and tease as he grinned at Aki. The sniper leveled a serious look at his large friend while shrugging and speaking calmly. "We enjoy some similar things, and compete against one another as snipers. Its good that we get along and learn from one another, improving ourselves."

The comment earned a dry snort from Leon who shook his head. "No, I mean that you should take her AWOL, go dancing in town or something, you know, get romantic." He flashed a grin at Aki only to have the Finn glaring at the Spaniard with a coldness in those eyes that showed the man was from the arctic circle alright.

"I am just going to take that as a joke. This place is supposed to be a secret to start with, and we are on duty even if we are not on active alert right now. Second, I would rather get to know someone than charge ahead like a bull in a porcelain store." Aki's comment was serious and reprimanding, reminding the Spaniard why this man was now put in charge of their squad. Pissing him off was definitely not a good idea.

_Well shit, there goes my plans for the weekend. _Leon sighed and nod his head briefly. "Yeah, look, sorry I just want to relax a bit and thought you two would make a nice couple. We are fighting out there, we should have fun when we get back and no worry too much about things while here." He looked at Aki, both trying to apologize while already realizing his own apology came off more as excuses and trying to push his side again. _Perhaps he has a point. I could try being a bit less... pushy?_

As Aki didn't reply to him right away, Leon finished changing before heading out as well, leaving the Finnish man alone in the roof. It took a little while before Aki got up and moved to close and lock the barracks door, pulling a knife from the shelf in his locker. Silently, he began the practice, his hand moving swiftly and precisely in the air.

While they had a chance to train with guns at the range at any time they chose, Aki didn't neglect the fact that some alien might come close and personal in the future, and while he did have a pistol to fall back to he also preferred to keep himself ready to fight with a knife. So these evening practice sessions were good chance to get his body limber before a shower and rest anyhow. Around when everyone else was elsewhere in the base.

Unlike a pistol, a knife didn't jam. Unlike a pistol, a foe couldn't just grasp onto the blade and pull it away from his hand. Unlike a pistol he could throw it accurately a fair distance and land several inches of sharpened metal into a foe's weak, soft point if things came to that.

He was here to fight, and he was here to win the war. He walked with confidence that no matter what the foe would throw his way, he would be ready. Aki might be somewhat harsh on his team at times but he wanted them to improve, and ideas like what Leon seemed to have planned were not going to happen. Revealing the base location to the public at large could lead to leaks that would expose them to a counter-attack. Despite its resources, X-COM would have a hard time fighting the enemy if they were struck where they were vulnerable.

Unknown Location

The dark room was illuminated by a holographic image of the planet floating in the air silently, resting in the middle of the round table, the eight seats arranged around it each occupied by one of the key members of their organization.

"The recent months have shown that the threat is very real."

The first among them spoke, the seat's edges illuminated by a crimson led glow, the figure itself resting comfortably in the dark, all that showed were the brief flickers of light off the small, round glasses the figure wore.

"The Council of Nations has reactivated the X-COM project. The old papers are still classified, but some of the information from the Roswell era has been leaked anyhow."

The second voice was clearly synthetic, altered for the sake of anonymity. It hardly mattered. Only those in the know would get into the chamber anyhow.

"The location of their bases is most important factor in the coming days."

The first figure spoke, before the floating globe showed flashes of light over area where alien incursions had occurred, before seeming to close in on an area in northern Europe, over Scandinavia. The image of a lone alien craft floated in the hologram, engaged by two fighter jets that managed to cause the alien craft to crash even as one of the fighter jets was damaged and dropped out of the sky by the alien craft in return.

"Unfortunately we were unable to track them. Military satellites place them somewhere in Europe, but the information we require is protected by the Council."

There was a short silence before the third among them spoke, a more feminine voice interrupting others thoughts. There was a pale hand tapping on the table's surface with manicured fingernails thoughtfully. Thinking of something for a few seconds the voice spoke again seriously.

"I suggest watching the other organizations carefully for how they react, and figure out who is involved and in the know, who contacts X-COM when another organization is made aware of a threat. Once the proper channels are figured out, we can insert false information if we so choose, perhaps even slip in a rat of our own."

There was a few thoughtful hums again, before the first spoke. His voice still chilled everyone in the room, the crimson light flickering from his glasses giving a few a reminder of just why the first sat in the position of power among them.

"I doubt we will have to wait long. They have stirred up the hornet's nest by causing one of the alien crafts to fall. If they are anything like we believe, they will retaliate. Humans may believe in vengeance, but these things have traveled through the stars to get even. There will be bloodshed, and X-COM will be forced to act. With all of that going on, they will undoubtedly suffer casualties. Which is fine for us, as we will need to simply provide them with the recruits of our choosing."

There was a flicker as the globe's image died, and each one stood up to head behind them to one of the many doors to the room, their numbers how highlighted above the doors. Leaving quietly, all eight of them would wait till they were safely away from the meeting area before they would remove their masks. All but the chairman. The terrifying thing about him was that though he wore no mask, none of them knew anything about the man, and yet he seemed to know all about them.

As the room emptied, the man smiled coldly in the now empty room, whispering quietly.

"Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtan."

_In his house at R'lyeh dead Cthulhu lies dreaming. _

OOOOOO

Alright, to answer a bit of thoughts mentioned before: Original _X-COM: UFO Defense / UFO: Enemy Unknown_ (named differently in U.S and in Europe)was followed by _X-COM 2: Terror from the Deep _which dealt with a horrifying return of the nightmarish monsters, but these ones were already on the planet, and had been a long time. The series continued with games like 'Apocalypse' (following after the fact that even if player could win in the 2nd game, the world was pretty much screwed over) and later releases. The new _X-COM: Enemy Unknown_ in turn returns to the original game's idea of attacks from above, but throwing away a lot of the old plots in favor of new ones, surprising the players with some things but still.

Now, I'm obviously taking some of my own interpretations to use here, but also I would think that X-COM 2 was rather clear nod towards Lovecraftian horror, though skirting around the copyright issues (yet making it rather... obvious... in some cases) and I decided to run with it and a few other ideas you will come to see. Hopefully it'll interest folks to watch and listen.

R'lyeh is from Cthulhu Mythos, which is gestured more openly here. The original 2nd game involved a space-ship called T'leth that was like a huge city at the bottom of the ocean (hence the name, Terror from the Deep) just as R'lyeh is supposedly a giant city at the bottom of the ocean where the great malevolent beasts slumber. Again, I'm borrowing materials from _various _X-Com sources, touching the 'surface' of Cthulhu Mythos, and mixing in my own thoughts.

As for the aliens and their actions, I like the way you think Beyogi and I will refrain from answering too much. Things should clear up with time, as I keep writing. Assuming folks are interested to read this.


End file.
